Onyx Moon

Chapter 2

Ora's afternoon nap brought her to the same dirt path in the enchanted woods she'd been following in her dream the night before. This time, the sun had fallen away from the sky, and a moon had risen high amongst a billion, breathtaking stars. Against the royal blue oblivion, they twinkled with flecks of gold, violet, and fuchsia.

Three moons, Ora had counted. Eerie, yet beautiful. A small one, yellowish orange, hung deep in the sky to the east. Not far from it, floating in the southeast, was a soft pinkish moon, the color of a baby's blush. Straight to the north, was a big white glowing moon, highlighted by silver craters. Shimmering light reflected off its surface and casted a glow on the thin white gown wrapped around her.

The colorful blinking sky was a sight Ora had never seen in the city. Pollution and streetlights had always faded any vision of a night sky. She contemplated staying there in her dream, and watching the deep blue hues change into purples and pinks of the morning, but instead decided follow the path that twilight had lit before her feet.

Wandering on through the strange woods, deeper and deeper into her dream world, she passed more peculiar things she would have never found in the city. Twisted tree trunks reached up to the sky. The trees were not all the same brown color; like trees in an apple orchard or in a park. Ora spotted several trees as black and shiny as tar, and others with branches as smooth and white as bones.

The forest floor was covered with moss, dirt, and dead leaves that crunched under Ora's bare feet as she stepped on them. As her eyes glanced down, and she found her toenails were not painted with the usual pale pink polish. Looking at her hands she noticed her fingernails were not delicately manicured in their usual fashion.

Maybe you see yourself differently when you dream, Ora considered.

As she strolled by, she couldn't help but notice the giant flowers that proudly showed off their magentas, blues, and purples; their colors vibrant even in the dim light of morning. Blossoms had begun to sprout out of the cold earth, and some had already bloomed off of the spiraled vines that had crawled up the tree trunks and clung to their bark. The giant petals' fresh scents mixed with the cool night air, like the aroma of a magic spell.

No one had ever told her you can smell in dreams. She bent down to sample a fuchsia tulip almost the size of her entire face, delighted with her subconscious mind as it created the aromas and images.

A sudden gust of whistling wind interrupted the night's silence. The air came alive, whirling all around her, carrying with it tiny sparkling particles of dust that danced in the air and brushed through her hair. Ora stayed in that spot on the path for a short while, afraid if she moved any further she would wake up. At that moment in the swirling current, nothing else mattered. She had forgotten all about her grandmother, her absent brother, the pressures of school, and the gymnastics team. It was the first time she'd been happy to be all alone.

When she'd worked up the courage to move on, she came to a spring set just off to the side of her path. The crystal clear water let her see all the way to the smooth rocks set in the bottom, past the reflection of yellow and pink moons behind her face. Slowly, like sleeping beauty pricking the needle on the spinning wheel, she dipped her finger tip into the crystal water.

Surprisingly, the liquid was wet. It was real, moistening the tip of her finger. Smooth ringlets grew to the water's edge as she pulled away and a single droplet dripped from her nail. Pink and yellow moonlight danced across her reflection, until the rings began to fade into a smooth surface again. The water revealed to her not the reflections of the two moons, but the wavy reflection of a young man, staring back in amazement at her.

Startled, she scurried up from the ground, stepping away and brushing herself off. Ora had heard people tell her strange things they had seen or done in dreams, but none of it was anything like this.